Is the domain name the most important part of a URL?

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In terms of optimizing a website for search engine visibility, the domain name is an important part of a URL. When people search for keywords, search engines retrieve results based on matching keywords that appear in domain names. However, there are many other factors that determine the visibility of a URL on search engines, so the domain name cannot be considered decisive.

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If people are searching for a specific product, service or topic listed on a website but not featured in that website's domain name, then the name of the product, service or topic should feature in the URL. This means that pages should be named with target keywords, which are the words people are searching for that are relevant to the website in question. For example, if a page on a website covers the topic of ancient Chinese pottery, the entire keyword phrase "ancient Chinese pottery" should be present in the URL instead of being abbreviated, such as "chinpot1."

While not the sole factor determining SEO visibility, since domain names are matched to keywords in the same way, it is a good idea to use relevant words within them. Established brands can simply use their brand name to the same effect. The best domain names are short and, if using keywords, composed of more than one relevant word.